UN Yemen Envoy Condemns Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia, Warns of Threat to Regional Security

United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg on Sunday condemned continued Houthi attacks on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, warning that the escalation posed a serious threat to regional security and further undermined efforts to achieve peace in Yemen.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, Grundberg referred to an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday that, according to Saudi authorities, killed 12 people and injured more than 300.

He said the strike followed attacks earlier in the week on airports in Riyadh and Abha, a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia, which also resulted in civilian casualties.

“These attacks represent a grave escalation,” Grundberg said, warning that such actions “pose a serious threat to regional security, perpetuate cycles of violence and complicate even more peace efforts for Yemen.”

The UN envoy renewed his call on the Houthis to halt the attacks and emphasised the need to comply with international humanitarian law. He specifically highlighted the prohibition on directing attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Grundberg’s remarks came amid an intensification of military confrontations along both sides of the Yemen-Saudi border.

A military source told Xinhua on Sunday that airstrikes targeting Houthi-controlled areas had intensified, with heavy bombardments reported in parts of southwestern Taiz province and other locations across Yemen.

Fighting has also escalated in southwestern Yemen, particularly near the strategically important Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Yemeni government forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, have been engaged in clashes with Houthi fighters in the area.

Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since late 2014, when Houthi forces seized the capital, Sanaa, and large parts of the country’s north.

In 2015, a Saudi-led coalition intervened in support of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is now based in the southern port city of Aden. The conflict has since remained a major source of instability in the region.